Chiller Theatre: October 2024

The weekend of October 25-27, 2024 marked another epic edition of Chiller Theatre, the greatest con in the universe! This was a stacked guest list, so my friends, and I were pumped as fuck for it! We went on that Saturday, the 26th, prepared for the epic time that we would be having.

The first person that I went up to was the celeb, that I was most pumped to meet on this day: the gorgeous Jill Schoelen! Schoelen starred in many a horror film including The Stepfather, Phantom of the Opera, Popcorn, Cutting Class, and more. I let her know that I had the biggest crush on her as a kid, and that she was one of my all time favorite scream queens. While, she thanked me for the former comment, it's the later one that she seemed to appreciate the most. 

She signed my recently purchased copy of the recently released 4K disc of The Stepfather. Put out by Scream Factory this is superlative transfer of this masterpiece. I actually also told her about my love for that classic, and it was cool that she was wearing a tee of it that day! Schoelen was so sweet in person, that she talked to my friend Freddie and I for a while. 

She gave out a folder with her picture, listing all her work, and promoting her upcoming (next year to be more exact) horror/ comedy Christmas movie: Twist. This movie will also mark her return to acting which is awesome as fuck! She is honestly one of the sweetest and most amazing celebs, I have ever met. I cannot possibly say enough good things about her. 

The next celeb I went up was Ian McCulloch, star of Italian horror favorites Doctor Butcher M.D. and Lucio Fulci's classic Zombie, that later of which is one of my all time favorite movies. As such, I was so excited to meet him. That's another thing that made this Chiller so awesome, we had the return of stars of Italian horror and Godzilla movies return (more on that in a bit). 

Anyway, McCulloch told me that he had met his youngest fan ever, the day before in the form of a seven year old! That's crazy! I think letting kids watch bloody and wild Italian horror movies is parenting done right! Anyways, he also told me that the dude who played the famous worm-eyed zombie (from the posters and artwork) was a stuntman with a huge car and World War II memorabilia collection, as well as a staff of ten who work for him! What a cool and wild fact! He also told me that about ten years ago he did this con with him. Man, I wish I had known/ been there! That guy is one of my favorite zombies ever, and I'd would love to meet him! Anywho, McCulloch signed my Blu-ray copy of Zombie.

As I said, Godzilla stars also returned to Chiller. There were two, I only went up to the lovely Tomoko Ai. She was my favorite female character/ actress in a Godzilla flick, having played the complex and lovely cyborg from the awesome last movie in the Showa era: Terror of Mechagodzilla. She is also the only actress to ever appear nude in a Godzilla movie, well sort of. As the character is topless. But, her boobs are prosthetics, cuz she is a cyborg being operated on, Makes sense, I suppose. She didn't know much English but was very pleasant to meet being all smiles, sweet, and grateful. She signed the page of Terror in the amazing and, apparently, now out of print Criterion Godzilla set.

The last celeb I met that day was the gorgeous Jill Terashita. She was in Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland and, another one of my favorites, Night of the Demons (she is also this site's inaugural Horror Crush). She was so sweet in person! Incredibly talkative and energetic, she was a pleasure to converse with. She told and showed me her ghost photography that she is doing now. It was very cool and intersting to see and hear about. 

There were many more guests that I wanted to meet, but I did want to get some merch (you can see that and my autographs towards to end of this article). And, I couldn't afford it all. So, I opted to end my autographing with her and went to dealer's room. Afterwards, we all got dinner, so that we could then return for the famed Chiller party!

This was the first time in years that we actually stayed for the party instead of cutting out early. Being able to stay at my friend Alan's place meant we could drink and party! The party was a complete blast, of course. There was not a whole lot of cosplay (well that we saw, anyways), but the two dudes doing Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the Kiss Dressed to Kill cover were awesome! 

Anways, we drank, talked, met some cool new friends, saw old ones, and, of course, talked to the great Kevin Clement, who without there wouldn't be any of this. He is truly the man, an awesome person, a friend, and my fellow May 29er! 

At one point during the party, I commented with my friend scream queen, Brandy Noir about how weird it was to see the party stop so that con attendees could watch the Yankees and Dodgers game on the TV. That was definitely a first! We mentioned our disdain for sports, but you probably don't care about. Unless you agree with us, in which case, yay for you! 

The following are my movies that I got signed that day:

Terror of Mechagodzilla (from the Criterion Godzilla Showa Era set)- Tomoko Ai
The Stepfather (along with the free folder she handed out to her fans)- Jill Schoelen
Zombie- Ian McCulloch

Swag that I bought that day:

Screem magazine (LOVE that Creature from the Lagoon and The Shape of Water cover!) that got me a free copy of Ruby on Blu-Ray. I've never seen that blaxploitation movie but have wanted to for ages. The other two movies, that I bought, I've seen and love.
The Sadness 4K (I actually got that at the Vinegar Syndrome booth)

Cemetery Man (at the Severin booth. I bought the Blu-Ray cuz the 4K set, which, to be fair, does come with amazing soundtrack was $60. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray was only like $20 and was selling like hotcakes. I bought the last copy!)

 

And, so ended another edition of the greatest of all cons! As always we're already pumped for April's edition. Who amongst you went this time around? Who did you meet? What were the highlights for you? Let me know in the comments section below. 

Read More

The 10 Best Godzilla Movies of All Time

Godzilla, the undisputed King of the Monsters, is one of the most famous beasts in cinema history. I am a life long fan of his. His films are a bigger part, if not in fact the main part, of what began my interest in monsters and horror films. And, without him, I don't know if I would be into the genre, let alone be writing about it. Including the anime (of which I am NOT a fan of) and American films there are a total of 36 Godzilla movies, which vary in quality. The following though are the creme-de-la-creme and are presented in ascending order.

10. Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah (1991)- This wild flick is the third entry in the Heisei period in the series. A triumphant return of Godzilla's greatest foe, King Ghidorah, it has time travel and some really fun and crazy plot twists. Included among these is the fuckin' awesome Mecha-King Ghidorah! The climatic battle rocks real hard!

9. Godzilla 1984/ The Return of Godzilla (1984)- This is better known in the US as Godzilla 1985, but the original Japanese cut is the vastly superior one. It's a darker more violent flick and the first in the Heisei series. You can read my full review here.

8. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)- The final entry in Showa series is a return to the darker and more serious tone of the early films. A direct sequel to the preceding film, Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla, you can read my review of it here. 

7. Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)- I've loved this fan favorite ever since I was a kid. It introduces one of the Big G's most persistent foes, the robotic terror known as Mechagodzilla. This, though, remains the best movie that he was featured in. Check out my review of it here.

6. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters Attack (2001)- Sometimes referred to as Godzilla: GMK, this is an imaginative, dark, and deadly serious take on the classic Toho monsters. Godzilla is possessed by the dead souls of those who died in the Pacific War. The other monsters are re-imagined as Guardian Monsters. The destruction scenes hold much more gravitas, than they had for a very a long time.

5. Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)- The final entry in the Millennium series (as well as being the last Godzilla flick for several years), this incredibly fun and absolutely bonkers movie tends to split fans. But, I am in the camp of it being awesome as fucking hell. My full review of it is here.

4. Godzilla Vs. Destroyah- The final entry in the Heisei series this an exciting, ass kicker that also has a lot of heart. Featuring a brand new, super powerful and scary looking, and evil monster in the form of Destroyah (his only appearance thus far), it's a truly excellent monster mash. My full review is here.

3. Destroy All Monsters (1968)- Featuring many of Toho's finest, and not necessarily finest, beasts. this fun and beloved spectacle is a most for monster fans. Sure it is a lot slow in some spots, but the film always holds your interest. The destruction scenes are cool, but it is the climatic battle that truly shines. In it, all the monsters team-up to battle the evil King Ghidorah in one of the best battles in the entire series.

2. Mothra Vs. Godzilla (1964)- Without a shadow of a doubt, this classic is one of the finest kaiju movies ever made. It is also the second best entry in the entire series. Godzilla is intimidating and deadly force of destruction, while Mothra solidifies herself place as one of the greatest heroic monster ever. A childhood favorite, I'll never forget TV Guide describing it as something to the effect of: "It's excellent FX makes this a must for horror fans". Fully fucking agreed.

1. Godzilla (Gojira) (1954)- Come on man, you knew this would be number one right? The only entry in the series, that can truly be called horror, it is one of the greatest sci-fi/ horror movies ever made. Especially in it's classic uncut/ non-Raymond Burr, original Japanese version. A dark, somber masterpiece that is a powerful and haunting take on the horrors of nuclear warfare. A huge personal favorite, I have watched this one many times and will watch it many more.





That concludes this list. Agree or disagree with it? What would your top 10 Godzilla films ranking look like? Let me know in the comments section below.

Read More

TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (Review)

Title: Terror of Mechagodzilla
Director: Ishirô Honda
Writer: Yukiko Takayama
Cast: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Tomoko Ai, Akihiko Hirata, Katsumasa Uchida, Gorô Mutsumi
Min: 83
Year: 1975

After the events of Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla, Interpol agents, led by Inspector Kusaka, search, in a submarine, for the remains of Mechagodzilla at the bottom of the sea. They are suddenly attacked by a giant underwater dinosaur known as Titanosaurus, leading to the sub's destruction. Soon after, Interpol, with the help of marine biologist Akira Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki), investigates the incident, which leads them to the studies of scientist Shinzô Mafune (Akihiko Hirata). He had been researching the dino, but when they arrive at his home, they only find his gorgeous daughter Katsura (Tomoko Ai). She tells him that her dad is dead, and that she burned all his notes on the monster, at his behest.

This turns out to be a load of bullshit, of course, as Mafune is alive and well, on top of being a whack-job, who wants to destroy humanity. He soon ends up helping an evil alien race, under the leadership of Mugal (Gorô Mutsumi), who want to use his tech that controls Titanosaurus, as well as his help to repair, upgrade, and also control Mechagodzilla. The combination of both these monsters will surely spell the end of humanity.

Meanwhile, Ichinose has fallen in love with Katsura (not that I can blame him), who is working with her insane dad and the aliens. He unknowingly tells her about Interpol's discovery that they use to battle Titansaurus. Godzilla, then, must battle both monsters. But, all alone can even the King of the Monsters defeat the improved Mechagodzilla and hurricane wind causing Titanosaurus?

Like the time when Shin Godzilla was about to come out, I am gonna be giving you guys some Godzilla reviews and articles to prepare for the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which hits theaterson the 31st of May). I decided to start by revisiting this, the final of the Shōwa Godzilla series.

For those not in the know this is the first era of Godzilla movies, that started with the masterful Gojira and ended with this one. This flick was the least successful, in Japan, of the Big-G movies. Which sucks in retrospect, cause it does really rank among the best of the films in the franchise. Anywho, this is also a rare entry in that is a direct sequel to a movie that is not the first Godzilla film but, instead the aforementioned, Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla.

This sequel isn't as good as that awesome fan favorite, but it comes pretty damn close. It manages to tell an exciting and interesting story. It actually develops human characters that we like. And, that we give a flying fuck about what they are doing and what happens to them. This is usually pretty hard in these kaiju movies, but thank Godzilla they succeed! The acting is good with Katsuhiko Sasaki making for an easy to like hero in Ichinose. Katsura, as played by the beautiful Tomoko Ai, is one of the most gorgeous women in the Godzilla/ Toho world, and an interesting and somewhat complex character, in her own right.

She is also the only naked one in a Godzilla movie! Well, sort of, you see the Japanese uncut version has a shot of her being topless, but her tits are actually prosthetic. Still, it's a nice visual that the American version had to excise, making it yet another reason the avoid that shitty dubbed edit.

But, we all know that the main appeal of these movies are the monsters and their mayhem. This movie really shines in that department. The suits look great and the destruction and battle scenes are thrilling, violent, and fun. The climatic battle is specially entertaining and a blast to watch. Of course. the grandiose score by Akira Ifukube excels as always. It combines perfectly with the darker and more serious tone of this flick, to really help the movie raise above the elements of cheese from some of the previous installments.

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a fun and exciting entry in the Godzilla franchise. The final entry in the Shōwa series, it's darker and fully captivating. It aims for a slightly more mature take, even throwing in boobs, albeit fake ones. With cool monsters and great effects, it really gives the fans what they want. And, tops it off by having some strong acting. It you are looking for an entry with lots of wild and violent mayhem and much less camp (well aside from, maybe, the silly looking helmets the aliens wear), then this motherfucker is definitely for you.

NOTE: Terror of Mechagodzilla was released in the US in both it's cut American release and the complete Japanese version via Classic Media. Sadly, that excellent DVD has long been out of print (and, goes for a very pretty penny online). Criterion acquired the right to several Shōwa era movies, this one included, but release date to DVD and Blu-ray has yet to be revealed. It is available to view on some streaming services like Amazon Prime, though.

3.5 out of 4

Read More